Options
by EloraCooper4
Summary: April comes to visit Collins while he is teaching.


Note: I don't own RENT or "The Guest" by Albert Camus. If you haven't read that story you really should just because it's good stuff…even though I kinda ruin the plot in this fic, it's an amazing piece of writing. And yay I've written the first Collins and April fic. parties Stoli all around. Also chapter 2 of Tables is on the way! Enjoy!

"Now what did you all think of 'The Guest'?" Collins asked his students taking a seat on the top of his desk and sitting cross-legged. Gina picked out dirt from her fingernails. Megan turned red and looked down at her hands, apparently she had read the wrong story. Joe seemed to be counting the amount of brick pieces behind Collins. Michael was too busy watching Sage pull the gum out of her mouth with her pointer finger.

"That good huh?" Collins asked grinning at the lack of response from his students. "Ok. Now let's be honest how many of you read it?"

All of the kids looked at each other wondering if it would be more embarrassing to admit having read it or not. Michael finally managed to pull his focus from Sage and raised his hand, he never did care about what others thought of him. The fact was proven by his choice of tie-dye wardrobe. Even a hippie from the sixties would have been blinded by his shirts. All of the other students looked elsewhere in the room keeping their hands in their laps.

Collins sighed, "Well thank you for your honesty. What did you think Micheal?"

The student shrugged leaning back in his chair, "It was really depressing. I mean the guy wants to save this convict dude's life and when he does he just gets screwed anyway. The convict's family comes to kill him thinking he turned him in. Kinda sucks."

"More than kinda. It sucks a whole lot. Lots of suckage." Collins said with a nod, his students stifling laughter. "And you know what else sucks? The fact that you guys now have to read it silently. Micheal, you're free to leave, everyone else get reading." He jumped down from the desk and sat down in the chair behind the desk putting his feet on the top of it.

Micheal leaped out of his seat, "Thanks Professor!" Collins saluted him, "See it pays to do your homework…" Collins glanced over at Megan who looked like she was going to puke. With a grin he nodded to her, "But everyone makes mistakes. Even the likes of me."

"No way Professor!" Michael called out as he walked out of the room, "You rock!" He slammed his fist into the air. Collins laughed pulling out some papers from his bag, "Thank you for the support. Now get the hell out." The student laughed as well waving and almost colliding with a young red head.

"Oh sorry about that." He mumbled, the woman just nodded hiding her face from him.

Collins looked up to the woman who just walked in and dropped his feet from the desk immediately, "April?"

"Hey." She said quietly walking over to him her shoulders raised, "I hope I'm not bothering-"

"Since when do you care if you bother anyone?" Collins asked with a smirk. He had always been slightly fond of Roger's girlfriend. She knew how to let loose and just act goofy. Which was nice since Roger and Mark considered themselves too mature to watch Saturday morning cartoons. He found a real buddy in April. If only she hadn't pulled Roger down into the world of heroine. Then maybe Collins would have loved her. But something in him just couldn't forgive her. Sure, she was fun, but she was a mess. And now, so was Roger.

April grinned twirling her short red hair with her pointer finger, "Good point...is there a reason why it's so quiet?" She whispered to him blinking a few times.

"Oh yeah silent reading. A middle school punishment for college kids. No worries. Come take a seat." He smacked the top of the desk and frowned at Joe who seemed to be checking April out.

"Mr. Santini…" Was all Collins had to say and Joe snapped his eyes back to the reading. April took a seat as Collins requested and looked at her hands for a moment before shrugging and saying with a weak laugh, "So how you been?"

Collins raised his eyebrow, he was awful sure that she didn't stop by the college to ask him how he was doing. But he knew she'd get to the point eventually. She always did…she just had to circle around it for a while before clearing a landing.

"I'm fine. Working. Living in the same loft you are. At least when you're not out with Roger that is." Collins teased her with a grin, "The usual."

April nodded and started to bite her neon green fingernails. The nail polish was quickly chipping away. She looked around and cleared her throat. "So no…boyfriends?"  
Collins shook his head, "But tomorrow is another day….look April I love seeing you don't get me wrong but…you've dropped in before. What's on your mind?"

April frowned and dropped her hand into her lap again, "I just…I just wanted to check on you. With the…you know and all." She said making odd hand gestures that was supposed to some how make it all clear.

"Uh what and all?"

"You know…AIDS." She whispered to him biting her bottom lip and looking away.

Collins leaned back into his chair farther. Just a month ago he had been diagnosed, although he suspected that the disease was in his system from a long time ago. Which was due to the fact that he hadn't gone on a date or had a one night stand in years. "I'm doing ok. Taking the medicine when I should. Sure I'm not gonna live to be 78 or something but I really didn't plan on that, you know? Lived under the James Dean mantra 'Die young and leave a good looking corpse.' But that's probably not an option anymore…the good looking corpse part." Collins sighed and looked up at April catching some fear in her eyes as she watched him and continued to chew on her nails.

"I'll be ok though April really. There's no other option but to fight it." Collins said to her plainly. April watch him for a moment and then sighed, "Sure there is-"

"Uh Professor?" Gina raised her hand and waved at him to get his attention, "I read this over and I have no clue how this relates to existentialism except for the fact that it's damn depressing."

Collins leaned his head back and laughed, "Ain't it the truth." He got up from his chair and grabbed some chalk, "Now what are some principles of existentialism? And no one say damn depression or I will chuck this piece of chalk at you."

"Free will." Gina said which resulted in Collins writing it on the board and nodding,

"Good, what else?"

"Damn depressing." Joe mumbled flipping to the next page in his book, "Ouch!" He called out as the chalk hit him in the forehead. Collins raised his pointer finger at his student, "I warned you!" The students just chuckled at their professor's antics.

"Aw Michael's gonna be mad he missed that!" Sage said a huge smile on her face as Joe was not really a valued member of the class.

Collins smiled at his students and turned to tell April he would be with her in a minute, but she was gone. He stared at the space that she occupied for a moment before his students pulled him back into reality.

"Who was that girl, professor? You're girlfriend?" Joe asked rubbing his forehead.

"No. Didn't you know he's gay?" Megan turned to him and said in a whisper.

"Megan it's not a secret." Collins said to her, "But no…she's a friend."

When Collins was finished with classes, grading papers, and planning future lessons, he headed home making a mental note to corner April and talk to her. Unless, of course, she had taken Roger out for some more heroine. That's what Collins had expected at least. It seemed like the two spent more and more time with their dealer. More time with him than their roommates, actually. But when Collins opened the door to the loft everyone was home. A police officer stood in the middle of the loft talking to Mark who was crying heavily. The thing that caught Collins' attention however was the sound of Roger wailing. The rocker had locked himself in his room but his voice was carrying through the whole loft. Collins' dropped his bags. His eyes had caught a pool of red liquid seeping out from the bathroom.

"She had AIDS." He heard Mark say to the police officer.

Collins shut his eyes and whispered, "No, baby…this shouldn't have been an option."


End file.
